Gangster: Cool

Rio - the ongoing story of one man's struggle to understand his own PR.•2007: Signs up to front major new anti-gang culture initiative. Government source says: 'Kids on the street have no male role model. Rio Ferdinand is perfect for that'. Rio says: 'I want kids to see it's not just drug dealers who drive decent cars - they need to know that trying to be a gangster isn't cool.'•2008: Signs up as executive producer of major new Brit gangland movie Dead Man Running, set in London and Manchester's drugs scene. Features 'violent cold-blooded loan shark' played by 50 Cent (previous film credits: Get Rich or Die Tryin', Righteous Kill and Streets of Blood) 'hunting down an ex-con.'

Relaxed

•January: Man United chief executive David Gill denies their mid-season PR trip to Saudi Arabia was money-motivated. 'People can level what they want at us, but we're relaxed about that. People don't understand how these decisions are taken.'

•November: Saudi Telecom tipped as favourites to replace AIG as United's new main sponsor. Any deal would follow the £10m contract with the company announced by Gill in August: 'Our trip in January demonstrated the passion our Saudi fans have for United.'

Brand management

Toughest part of any shirt deal for United: the morals. In 2006 Gill rejected a £70m deal with gambling giant Mansion to 'avoid damaging United's brand'. The board, said sources, 'were uncomfortable with the idea of children wearing shirts promoting gambling'. Any deal with the Saudi company would have kids in shirts promoting a nation big on religious torture and beheadings by sword - but that's nothing PR can't fix. United's photocall in Saudi in January bridged the culture gap, first-team players posing at a Saudi palace holding knives and swords. 'Wayne's a blade Rooner!' said The Sun. 'United stars were game for a laugh at a right royal home in Riyadh yesterday...' (Other headlines in The Sun that week: 'Gang kids, 13, knifed boy to death'; 'Teen on stab rap' and 'TEXT SEX STAB LAD GETS 2YRS'.)

Man of the week

Stephen Vaughan, chairman, Chester:• 2003: Appoints Mark Wright as manager - Wright available after being sacked by Oxford for alleged racist abuse of a referee.• 2004: Sacks Wright over claims he had an affair with a Chester player's wife.• 2006: Appoints him again after Wright sacked by new club Peterborough for 'gross misconduct', which Wright denies. • 2007: Sacks him after a run of three wins in his last 20 games.• Nov 2008: Sacks Wright's replacement, opening a vacancy. 'I can't seem to get it right as far as appointing managers is concerned. But I want this settled fast: interested candidates should apply as soon as possible.' • Three days later: appoints Mark Wright.

All because

William Gallas says former team-mate Jerome Rothen is 'just chasing publicity' by claiming in his new book that Gallas stole £150 from a colleague when they were teenagers. 'I was surprised by what he wrote. It hurt my parents - and all because he wanted to sell books.' Also last week: blanket press coverage for Gallas' outspoken attack on his Arsenal team-mates in the press - luckily coinciding with the launch of 'William Gallas: the autobiography'.

Love the club

Racism news: Florent Sinama-Pongolle says there's no problem at Atletico Madrid. 'I've been here four months now and I've always got on well in the stands and on the pitch. There's no problem with racism here.' May 2008: Sinama-Pongolle attacks racist abuse aimed at him by opposition fans while he was playing for Recreativo Huelva. 'I can't understand how there are still people like these Atletico Madrid fans who go to football to insult people of another race. I'm upset - it's not right.'

Beating the crunch

$4m: compensation Sven will pick up if Mexico sack him after their defeat to Honduras. 'Kick him out,' says the Record. 'It only costs $4m. If they want, we will pay the first dollar.' Other top Sven pay offs: £1.25m from Man City plus £500k bonus ; £3.75m from the English FA. 'Mexico is a big challenge,' said Sven in June. 'I like big challenges!'

Literary news

Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano says fiancé Carolina Marcialis, 17, is 'the one'. 'She's special,' says Cassano in his new book 'Dico Tutto' (I'll Tell Everything). 'I've only had four girlfriends in 11 years - that's very few. But then again, I've also done it with around 600 or 700 women, at least 20 of them from the world of showbiz. In Madrid it was easy because I lived in a hotel. The bell boy was my good friend: it was his job to bring me three pastries after sex. He would hand me the pastries, I would hand him the girl, and he would return her into the night. Sex plus pastries - could it be any better?'